BILLS, Private. A private bill is dis tinguished from a public bill in that it affects only a particular person or place, whereas the latter affects all persons in the State generally or all persons in a class. Private. bills are usually designed to benefit some particular per son, corporation or place, and the proceedings with reference to thern are not only legislative but to a certain extent judicial. Among pri vate bills are those to incorporate gas, water, railway and other companies; to incorporate cities or towns or to increase their powers; to naturalize particular individuals or to change their names; to grant pensions to particular persons; to settle private claims; divorce bills; etc. A private bill must not be confused with a private member's bill in the British Parlia ment, the latter being a bill which is introduced by a private member of Parliament as distin g.uished from a member of the government. In England private bills are initiated by "petitionx' and may be introduced only if they have been advertised publicly for three months prior to the assembling of Parliament. Being regarded as a privilege, fees are required to be paid by the promoters of such bills at the various stages of their passage. They are required to be de posited before 31 December in the aprivate bill office" where they may be subjected to public inspection and the inspection of two exam iners appointed to ascertain if they have fol lowed the prescribed ;preliminaries. A com mittee on pnvate bills then listens to arguments on their merits and reports to the House, where they are either passed or rejected. See
GREAT BRITAIN - PARLIAMENT.
In the United States House of Representa tives there is a separate private bill calendar but the legislative stages through which private and public bills must pass d,o not differ ln any essential particular. However, the House of Representatives does set aside Friday of each week fdr the consideration of private bills, such as pension bills, relief measures, claims against the government, etc., though by a majority vote this day may be devoted to other business. Some States observe the English distinction between public and private bills, using a differ ent procedure in their passage. Pennsylvania and some other States require at least 30 days' notice of the intention to introduce such a bill, uhich notice must be published in the locality in which the thing to be affected is situated. Massachusetts requires a petition and notice by advertisement or otherwise to all parties affected or interested before a private local bill can be introduced and considered. Consult Bryce, James, (The American Commonwealth' (4th ed., 1910); Clifford, W. K., 'History of Private Bill Legislation' (1885) ; Cushing, L. S., (Law and Practice of Legislative Assemblies' (1907); Hinds, A. C., (Precedents of the House of Representatives) (1907-08), and (Rules of the House of Representatives' (1909); Ilbert, Sir 'C., (The Mechanics of Law Making) (1914) ; Reinsch, P. S., (American Legislatures and Legislative Methods) (1907).